Dalia Shimko
Idit Tzur
Shmuel Shilo
Moshe Havatzelet
Adi Neeman
Osnat Offer
In A Itzhak Tzepel Yeshuron Film
Noa at 17 (1951)
"1951, The Korean war,
"The tension between East and West intensifies,
"the world is in a Cold War,
"the Labor Movement in Israel faces a severe crisis:
"Identifying with the Soviet Union, or westernizing,
"Kibbutzim fall apart over the issues of socialist principles
"and international policies,
"Violence leave families torn and society ripped apart,
"The youth is called upon to contribute and work in kibbutzim,"
"Tel Aviv, 1951 "
Uzi and I,
Every time he comes from Rehovot I get so nervous,
What are we going to do together?
If he gets bored, he won't come here again,
You know, I think that girls are better friends than boys,
Because... girls have a purer, more honest friendship,
There's no sexuality involved,
Yes, but Uzi is kind of nice,
I mean, I know he's nothing special,
and that he's childish like all boys,
But with a little work, I can make a man out of him,
Usually boys are pretty mean,
and if you fall in love with them you always get hurt,
Why are you sad?
If I had met someone... Someone like...
There's probably no one like it, but someone whose worth it,
I would have given everything up to be with someone like that,
"Dear diary, I'm back after not writing for several weeks,
"The school year ended yesterday, Here's what I learned this year:
"I realized love isn't all life has to offer,
"I have yet to learn the secret of life and death, mainly life,
"The secret of human pride, prestige and everything about it,
"I hope to resolve these questions next year,
"I loved Shmueli and then didn't, Aya showed me a picture of Uzi,
"I don't think I could love someone like him,
"He smiles, but there is something cruel about him,"
Meir? -Mom, it's me,
Oh, Noa, you're back so early?
What happened? -It was boring,
The Friday night party ended early? No one danced? -No,
Dad fell asleep near the radio, as usual. -I'm going to bed,
Come have some tea with me, -No, I'm tired, Mom,
Why? Aren't you thirsty? -No, I'm tired, Mom,
Mom, you touched my diary, That's just vicious,
Be nice, I was cleaning and I may have touched something,
It's no reason to be cheeky. -That doesn't give you a right to snoop,
If you clean your room yourself, no one will touch your things,
And don't start yelling, You'll wake your dad up,
Mom, this is my private diary, all right?
"Daily news review,
"'Davar' newspaper reports: Internal kibbutz politics erupt,
"Seemingly, this is another round in the war between the parties
"of the Labor Movement,
"but really, it is the battle on the future of the kibbutz,
"There is broad media coverage of the events in Ashdot Yaacov
"and Givat Hashlosha, but this process is much more poignant,
"The problem lies at the foundation of the kibbutz ideals,
"Can the rivals live and create together within one kibbutz,
"and consider it their communal home?
"The article’s author also wonders whether different kibbutzim,
"supporting different ideologies... "
If you are so interested in my diary, I can read it to you,
"I may have slacked off at school this year,
"I probably didn't try my hardest and failed to satisfy expectation,"
Three exams. -I'm reading, Don't interrupt, You wanted this,
"I have offended myself, but I make no amends,"
In short, I'm not going to school anymore,
Please, You'll become illiterate,
I'm not scared by the letter the principle sent you,
He's won't kick my daughter out of school. -Yes, he will,
I know people who can help, -You always know people,
But three exams are no laughing matter, Noa,
That's what your dad and I want to talk to you about. -But I don't,
I don't want to talk about this, -No one likes criticism,
I don't like to criticize, either, but some things in life are...
Are private, -I'm sorry,
Look, Noa, Your dad and I were talking,
and we've decided to get you the bicycle you wanted,
As long as you graduate from high school,
If that's the price I have to pay, I don't need the bicycle,
Do you realize how ungrateful you are? Dad and I slave for you,
and you won't make any effort, You wanted the bicycle,
And now I don't,
You heard what dad said, Can you even afford a bicycle?
You're being very rude, Now I see what your teachers mean,
You truly are rude. -How is that rude? Why is that rude?
You act like you can buy me with a bicycle,
I don't know what it's like in your party, but...
Oh, so now you're against the party as well. -That's right,
You know what, Noa? You're not going to that work camp,
You'll stay at home and study for your finals,
and pass them all, and then graduate from high school,
As long as I live, you will do as you're told,
I don't want to talk about this,
You'll do as you please when I'm dead,
You can’t act on impulses your entire life,
Now listen carefully to what I have to say to you, Noa,
I want you to have choices in your life,
and be forced to live a certain way, like your dad and me,
I can already see all those young scholars that will catch up to me,
and I'll be serving tea at their meetings, as they run the party,
Why did dad have no choice? -Why did dad have no choice?
Because he went to the kibbutz
without studying first, and I did the same,
And when we left the kibbutz,
we didn't have many career choices,
That's exactly why, It's because he left the kibbutz,
He gave up something he loved,
But Noa, you always have to give up on things you love,
Sometimes dad does, sometimes I do. -No, it's always dad,
Always dad? -That's right. -Do you realize how hurtful that is?
What did you give up?
Oh, never mind,
Uzi, Aya's boyfriend, is staying here, They don't have any room,
Or maybe she fears her parents, Or maybe both,
Noa, you're so impulsive, You can’t always act on your feelings,
You have to listen to your common sense,
No, you should follow your feelings and not be a hypocrite,
Follow justice and the truth,
I wish you hadn't eaten, I wanted to make a proper meal for us,
Maybe I'll put the girl to sleep,
Leave it, She can sleep here for a while,
We must do something about Noa. -What can we do?
There's always something you can do,
If we take your approach, she'll just up and leave,
"It's possible that one day everything will be different,
"Steady homes, green fields... "
In a year you'll have an illiterate daughter,
who'll end up being a seamstress or a factory worker or something,
Don't overreact, You're so pushy, Let her do what she wants,
No way,
That's what parents are for,
If you want to neglect your child, be my guest, I won't,
We know some things she doesn't,
It's a matter of principle,
Hello. -Hello. -So, you're here, -Yes, How did you see us?
I happened to be looking out the window, and I saw 2 people...
This is Uzi, This is my friend Noa. -Hello. -Hello,
Nice blouse. -Thanks,
So your mom had no problems with this? -No,
You'll be staying on the sofa in the guest room, OK? -OK,
So? -So? -So?
OK, I've got to go, It's late,
I'll come her tomorrow morning, and I'll bring Dudy
and we can prepare everything for the trip, OK? -OK,
OK, so I'll see you later, -Bye. -Bye,
Have you known Aya long? -Yes,
Do you want to go in? It's getting chilly. -OK,
How long? -How long what? -How long do you know Aya?
No, I wanted to go in, cause it is chilly and I don't have a sweater,
I've known Aya for... a few months,
but we don't see each other much, I'm from Rehovot,
Why are you staring? -I wasn't, I was just gazing in the dark,
I didn't say you were looking at me, What's in the dark?
Nothing, I thought it was a cat,
A cat?
She's not up, I don't think we should wake her,
she's sleeping so soundly... -No, don't wake her,
look how exhausted she is, She's completely exhausted,
You'll wake her up,
Tomorrow... -Shh... you'll wake Her up, Shraga, you go in there,
No, no, I'll sleep here, -No, Shraga...
Shraga, I decide where everyone sleeps here, In your home...
Put the mattress in Noa's room, -Come back. -No, don't...
Shraga... -You're making a racket,
No, Shraga, no, He'll sleep in here,
and you can sleep on the sofa, It's fine,
There you go, She's up, Noa, Shraga is here,
As always, showing up here in the middle of the night,
You should know me by now,
We'll put you on the sofa and your friend can stay here,
in the next room, OK? -Come on. -Shraga?
I wouldn't let them wake you up,
What time do you call this? -Introduce me to your friend,
This is Uzi. -I heard his name was Uzi, Your mom said so,
Hello. -Hello. -This is my uncle Shraga, my dad's brother,
OK, enough with the smooching,
to bed, everyone, We have a rough day ahead of us,
Hava, why aren't you in bed? -I want to see who it is,
It's Shraga, but you're going straight to bed after this, right?
Just one kiss. -Lately, she's been afraid to be alone in the dark,
I'm not afraid, -See, she's not afraid,
Of anything. -Now... -Do the nose thing. -OK,
What happened to your nose? What happened?
Hava, go to bed, You said you had a headache, right?
So straight to bed. -That's nice, Can you do a bunny rabbit?
OK, she can stay a little while, and then, off to bed,
Put out your nose, Quickly, -Now come to bed,
How nice, -Come to bed, Hava,
Let her stay a little. -No, she should go to sleep, Shraga,
Come on, she's a big girl, She can sit with us a little longer,
Shraga, you can’t tell my kids when they should go to sleep,
Oh, no one likes Shraga, -Pour Shraga,
Pour Shraga, Nobody loves him, -You love me,
So you're no one needs Shraga and he can go now, right?
Go where? Your demonstration? -What demonstration?
The Israeli Peace Committee's protest against Robertson,
the delegate from Great Britain, -Stop that, Not in front of the kid,
It's all right, The kid... -I'll take her, Meir,
Meir, the child can hear them, It's all right,
She's already asleep, or I wouldn't let you talk like that,
A demon takes over me every time I talk to her,
Good night. -Good night, -See you in the morning, Shraga,
Who isn't overtaken by demons these days? -These days...
Trust me, Meir, It's hell out there in the kibbutz these days,
It's a good thing Martha is gone, She doesn't have to witness this,
I have problems too, Shraga,
We need to be strong,
We are,
I thought you've gotten more moderate over the years,
I'm sorry, Bracha, You know me,
I heard you and Meir talk, That's why I want you here tomorrow,
I've called a meeting of... some people who can help,
Some influential people, Someone from the bank,
someone from the agricultural board, and I'm from the party,
As for the dispute, maybe we can compromise somehow,
so all this grief you and Meir spoke of can be prevented,
You shouldn't have invited me, Bracha,
Although I'm glad to be here,
The union people won't divide their kibbutz,
It's the same as asking you to split this apartment in two,
And the kids, It's like the trial of Salomon, Bracha, It's not...
Shraga, like all extremists, you're simply insane,
I'm insane? -Completely, I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed,
Good night. -Good night, She doesn't know what' she's saying,
It's not... it's hell, Bracha, don't you see? -You're insane,
It's not about talks and meetings,
I'm not speaking to Mira,
She betrayed me, Meir, Her own father, Her mother's memory,
Your daughter would never do to you what she did to me,
That guy she married is labor, That's how the problems started,
There are many families like ours, Split down the middle,
You have problems, I have problems, we'll manage together,
What's wrong? What is it? -I don't understand any of this,
Who's insane, who isn't, I... All of this... it's horrible,
What is it, Meir?
It's probably not...
We should have worked our land plot,
The one near the Benyamina railway. -Meir? -Quiet. -Meir?
What else could we want? -What is it?
What are you not telling me?
I don't know, The thoughts I have, It's terrible. -Meir?
Meir, come on, stop it, Meir, stop it,
Noa?
Noa, don't cry, -I'm not crying,
Noa?
My dad is so depressed,
I'm an idiot, I'm a depressed idiot,
Life's worth nothing,
I think life actually is worth something,
Let me tell you something I never told anyone,
You see, when I was a freshman, even when I was a sophomore,
I was a very miserable person, I had no...
I had no spine, No ideals,
I was just so miserable and unhappy, and so... pathetic,
I pretty much felt sorry for myself,
This isn't coming out right, It sounds weird,
It doesn't sound weird, -OK, so...
as a sophomore, I realized that having no spine
may actually be exactly what I needed,
That it can help me change into the person I would like to be,
And I discovered that what can help me turn from this...
this pathetic jellyfish,
into a real person is wisdom and beauty,
And so I did,
I also believe in great, beautiful ideals,
Even though there are all these ugly things in the world,
that ruin any ideals based on the belief in the human nature,
It's so depressing,
And whenever I think about settling in a kibbutz,
it seems redundant. -Why? -I don't know, What do you think?
I see you're really shy, just like Aya said you were. -Me?
Either that, or you have a problem with me,
Cause every time I look at you, you shift your eyes,
I have nothing against you, or for you, I'm indifferent,
Are you tired? -No,
We don't even know each other,
and we keep getting more and more intimidated,
I don't understand why, Do you? -Do I?
Do you ever meet someone who's just like you,
and you feel like they are your soul mate, and...
you can’t explain it, and...
cover up, it's really cold, And if you freeze in my house,
I'd be really embarrassed,
I feel a threat being with you in this romantic surroundings,
even thought it's not my fault there's a full moon, right?
I think we're a lot alike, -I feel so many things
that other people don't even pay attention to,
Everybody has feelings,
they're just afraid to talk about it,
Because they're afraid of being overwhelmed by their emotions,
like anyone who has a sensitive soul, right?
What are you looking at me like that for?
You're really pretty,
I know we hardly know each other,
but when I saw you with your family today,
I felt like I knew you,
no matter if something happens between us, or not,
I don't know,
I felt we can be of interest to one another,
That's all,
Uzi, stop it, That's terrible,
When I first met Aya, we fell in love with each other,
but when we got to the hugging and kissing,
she felt that being sensual was a bad thing,
She wants to be pure, and that's just wrong,
Because touching is an essential part of being in love,
I want to cry,
Hello, Kleinman, Hello, Come on in,
Let's say Mapai doesn't take care of the new immigrants, Who does?
The International Party? -Come on... -Russia? Stalin, who sent...
Let's have some tea, -Bracha, we're in a hurry,
You're still... OK, You haven't met Shraga, my brother in law,
We've heard a lot about you, I wish we were in the same party,
Do you know Gurevich? -Hey, -You've just met Shraga,
And I don't need to introduce myself and my husband, Meir,
I talked with some people... -Wait a minute, Kleinman,
maybe you know what it's about, but Shraga arrived late last night,
and we didn't have a chance to talk. -We did, We argued,
That sounds just like her, -Would anyone like anything?
I have baloney sandwiches, -No, I suggest we don't eat,
I asked people to come so we can have a civil conversation,
People from both parties,
And if the kibbutzim have to part ways,
we'd better do it right, That's why I asked Gurevich to come here,
The bank once suggested to help fund the division process,
and Kleinman from the Agricultural Board is here
to suggest options of developing a new kibbutz, That's about it,
So I gather you've already decided to go ahead and spilt,
Wait, Shraga, Be patient,
We just wanted to hear your own thoughts in the matter,
How do you think your kibbutz would react to such a suggestion?
Give us your personal opinion, from your own experience,
I talked with some people, and they hinted
that they will have no objection to a complete separation,
So we had better kept our chins up, -What is he talking about?
Shraga... -We have to beg and plead, don't you get it?
Shraga? Shraga, hold on a minute,
Shraga, clearly, after 25 years of communal living, parting is hard,
But there's no other choice. -You want to sacrifice the kibbutz
for the sake of westernizing, -Oh please, what kind of...
Do you want to keep living in a divided kibbutz?
A divided mess hall, divided ownership, divided appliances,
divided lands? And even if that were possible,
how can you, when your entire ideology is ambivalent?
Education is ambivalent? -Wait, the news is on,
"Slandering the Prime Minister, Maki's newspaper accused
"the Prime Minister, Mr, David Ben Gurion,
"in anti Soviet and anti communist policies,
"and national and social disloyalty,
"16 Chinese divisions are preparing to attack
"north of Hun Jhou, Diplomats in London and Paris
"feel that the negotiations on the Korea matter still stand a chance
"despite Stalin's confession,
"which is regarded by the Chinese as a verbal threat
"aimed to push the UN forces out of the Korean peninsula,
"The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Chamber of Commerce... "
Your beloved Russia, What is it doing now? What is it doing?
Your beautiful Russia is supporting aggressors...
Mapai... let me speak, I have something to say,
Please, let me talk. -Meir, we are supposed to calm Shraga down,
not encourage him, -Mapai wants...
Let him say his piece, -Let me speak, I want to speak,
We heard you. -Mapai wants to suggest... -Not that again...
Are you going to let me finish or not? -Meir, stop that already,
Anyway, our political, financial an military dependence
on the US... -What do you suggest? Depending on Russia?
What else? Stalin never wanted to Jews to have a home here,
He never did. -Why are there no new immigrants from Russia?
Why are they closing the iron gates? -Why is that relevant?
It is,
As long as Mapam supports international communism,
it can’t be a Zionist party. -Right, -We're settling this land Bracha,
Shraga, this is a democratic state,
Here, the majority decided what the state will look like,
Destroying kibbutzim to take over the entire kibbutz movement?
You call that democracy? Not bad, Not bad,
Go back to Russia, Both of you, -You're sending me to Russia?
Me? What's happened to you? How far have you gone? -Meir,
Shraga, Mapai has a majority in your kibbutz,
The majority decides how the children should be educated,
Do you know how you became a majority in my kibbutz?
Your Mapai friends put down workers' names on the ballot,
That's how you got your majority,
I wouldn't agree to Stalin's image hanging
in my children’s classroom, -You're killing those young souls,
It won't happen, It won't, -Enough, Leave me alone,
What kind of behavior is this? What kind of behavior?
Let him cool down... He'll be back,
Meir, let him calm down, We all should. -This behavior is wrong...
Kleinman, Sheinman, it's all a waste of time,
Again with the same arguments,
I've had enough, An important person... do you believe her?
Teaching me about democracy,
First they poison my daughter's soul... -What's wrong with you?
These leeches are about to come here,
and make me say words I don't want to say,
Words, words, words,
Any revolution begins with words, Words are dangerous,
Your dad says you want to go to a kibbutz. -Yes, I do,
It's not as great as you think, Not at all,
Dad can tell you what it means to leave your home, your family,
what it's like to be alone, -What's wrong? -Forget it,
It's nothing,
Your dad and I used to be very close once, Noa,
Dad should have stayed in the village, Maybe I should have too,
You could have been a village girl today,
Have you ever seen village girls? Healthy bodies, healthy souls,
They don't have to go through what we at the kibbutz do,
They value privacy there. -I don't want to waste my life there,
It's not easy,
I don't care about anything anymore,
Do you want to go in? We can wait for Dudy inside,
No, you go, Noa is getting dressed. -Come on,
Stop pulling my hand,
What's wrong? Did you not sleep well? -No, I slept fine,
So why are you so cranky?
I'm fine,
you just pulled on my arm and it hurts, that's all,
Was she nice to you? Her mom is a little annoying,
She didn't annoy me,
I'm sorry if you had a bad time here,
If you want,
I can say I won't be able to help with the preparations for the trip
and then have Dudy or Noa do it, or...
I don't know, -No, it's fine,
Do you want just the two of us to go boating or something?
Just say what you want to do,
so they don't say in Rehovot that we're bad hosts here in Tel Aviv,
No, you guys do what you need to, I'll wait here,
I'm fine, my arm just hurts and I'm in a bad mood, That's all,
Noa is all right, She's... she's sort of funny, because...
She is very unconfident, If you have a nice guy in Rehovot,
I'd actually recommend her, -Fine, I'll think about it,
Tell him she's cute, She said if she found someone worthwhile,
she would give anything up for him,
OK. -OK, I'm going inside, Come in later. -Yeah, fine,
Here's Noa, We were talking about the meeting in Massada,
I wrote it all down, -Can you show me?
It's right here. -Here it is, -That's not it. -That's not it,
But this is the lecture. -Lecture? What are you talking about?
OK, Noa, listen, We sit them down and let them relax,
and then we... -So they can’t interrupt. -Right, they're busy
with the climb up the mountain and all, They're exhausted,
They're resting... -What a plan,
They have no choice, They have to listen. -We have to remember
they're just kids, They get tired and noisy,
OK, enough with the child psychology. -OK, listen,
we tell them that right there, on the Massada,
a few Jews opted to kill their families and themselves and all,
rather than being captured by the Romans surrounding the place,
It's like a symbol of the sanctification in God's name,
Nice skirt,
Uzi, stop that already. -We ask them... why are you laughing?
Who, me? -Yes, you,
Aya, I think we should go in an entirely different direction,
Wait, this is good. -Let me finish. -Let her speak,
Why don't you let me finish preparing for the meeting?
I think we should do something else. -Like what?
Like... -Why are you laughing? -Go on... -I'm not laughing,
Forget him. -They should know what's going on in the kibbutzim,
You always do that, You never like anything I do,
That's not true, This is between us guides,
The kids can’t hear us,
They should know about the tragedy of the kibbutzim,
about families being torn apart, families falling apart,
like my uncle’s family. -They asked me to prepare one meeting,
and that's what I did, I'll say... -That we teach them about life
and ideals, instead of talking about what's happening now,
Just let her say her piece, -Let me finish,
I'll tell you what I had planned, and you do whatever you want,
I don't care, I just want to finish this and go home,
I was asked to prepare one meeting, and so I did,
That's all,
We prepared it together, Why are you so touchy? -Let me finish...
I'm not touchy, -OK, fine, Go ahead,
I just want to say one thing, that's all. -Well, go on,
I keep being interrupted, -All right, talk,
We ask them why dying in the name of God
is the right thing to do, Why is that a good thing?
Uzi, stop, That's mean. -I'm not doing anything. -Aya, go on,
That's it, Why is dying in the name of God a good thing?
That is, unlike any other death, which is a bad thing,
I meant... -Sorry...
Go on,
He's just a big baby, Anyway I think we should have meetings
about real issues, and not...
you know? -Real issues? What does that mean?
Is sanctification in God's name not a symbol? It sure is,
Sacrificing yourself for the group
or for an ideal is a real issue,
And that's exactly what we're missing in our community,
One for all,
How are we missing it? -Would you just stop?
Shut up already, -Duffers,
When they asked us to go to a work camp in a coalition kibbutz,
and the movement wouldn't do it for political reasons. -It's not...
And so they had to get hired help,
That's an example of indifference on our part. -Wrong,
It's not about politics, it's about it being a maritime work camp,
and us having no maritime skills,
That would require some sacrifice from us, because
a lot of kibbutzim desperately need more working hands,
Really? -Yes,
And kibbutz members beating up people from other kibbutzim?
They've got enough hands for that. -That's not how it is,
Yes it is, Don't yell at me, Their kibbutzim are about to split up,
and the members are busy hitting other kibbutz members,
So all of a sudden they thought of us... -What a jerk,
The only thing you're good for is telling jokes, You and Uzi both,
So the ones fishing can work on the boats and come to the kibbutz
while they're off the boat,
You had the nerve to send people to hit kibbutz members,
while you knew Mapai had a majority there. -That's a lie,
A lie, T rue, the kibbutz is ruined, -Right. -True, there's a conflict,
Violence, True, there's violence, -Shraga, Shraga...
and you get no new immigrants, They have no new immigrants,
Because you and you're like are stirring the pot. -Meir,
Ben Gurion portrays us to the public as good-for-nothing bums,
Meir, don't leave now, Kids, don't... don't leave now,
Naturally, the solution is letting Mapai take over everything,
Take over kibbutzim, dictate what kind of people we should accept,
Who ever heard of such a thing?
The kibbutz will go up in flames, -It's like you're living in Russia,
Let it burn, But we'll keep your immigrants away, Let go of me,
We'll keep the away forcefully, If we have to we'll use violence,
And if we have to, we'll smash windows, too,
You can’t dictate immigration policies to the government,
Leave me alone. -Enough, Shraga, Come outside. -I don't want to,
You got me into this, I want to tell you to your face what it is...
You can do it in Russia, not here. -But we won't let you
take in all those immigrants,
We won't let you get a majority in our kibbutzim,
Stop it, go outside. -I want to... -No, the meeting's over, Out,
What is it? What is it? -Enough already. -OK, I'm relaxed,
We're done talking, Come outside, have a drink. -OK,
I just want to say... Just listen to me for a second,
Let them burn the kibbutz, but we'll take your immigrants away,
And if we have to use violence, we will, but we won't let you...
turn our kibbutzim into Mapai cells,
OK, fine, No go outside, -And that's not all,
You can get them out, I don't have... -People like you...
Bracha, I'm leaving, I have nothing to do here anymore,
You don't argue about principles, you fight for them,
What is it? -Let them say... Nothing. -Enough,
Am I offending you? -I want you to relax, I know you,
Give me a minute. -You forgot that. -I didn't, Give me a minute,
The solution, you see, is to... -Here you go again, Shraga,
That's quite enough, Go outside, -Letting the party take over it all,
take over our kibbutzim, dictate to us...
what kind of people we can accept to the kibbutz,
They're taking over our lives, -Meir, take him outside,
We won't let you turn our kibbutzim to Mapai cells,
I won't let you speak, I won't let you...
But go outside, Enough! -No! We won't let Ben Gurion
do whatever he wants in this country. -Shraga! -That's right,
Shraga, stop it! -You and your friends,
I didn't ask to be here, -Did you see how he pushed her?
I wish you had half the trouble Shraga did. -Noa, come inside!
Come inside!
Wipe away those tears, Noa, Wipe your tears,
Keep them for harder times,
It's all right, -Come inside, lie down a little,
Breath deeply, Everything will be all right, Easy, easy,
OK. -What happened? It's all my fault, I'm sorry,
I said I was sorry, -I heard you,
Now leave us alone, OK? -What is it? where does it hurt?
Bracha, please... -What is it? where does it hurt?
Bracha, leave it... -Can you breath? We should call a doctor,
Leave us alone, He'll rest and it will be OK, Enough, It's over,
He'll be all right, Just let him rest a little,
I'll go make dinner, Hava will be home soon and we'll eat,
Just relax and let her rest a little too, Stop it. -OK, I...
All the time... -I'm going to make myself some tea,
Does anyone want to drink some tea and relax?
Go drink and leave alone, We're fine. -But ask Shraga,
You didn't ask him, Maybe he wants something to drink,
Shraga doesn't need tea, nor does he need hotheaded Kleinmans,
Breath deeply, Inhale, exhale, Inhale, exhale,
It's just nerves,
Inhale, exhale, Easy does it, Relax,
Forget all about it. -When it takes you over... -Forget it,
It's scary. -Breath deeply, Inhale, exhale, Slowly,
You'll get over it, You'll see, It will be all right,
The kibbutz has failed, Meir,
All those efforts...
It was all a waste,
We thought we'd be the model of pure communism and equality,
We need independent farmers, Meir, To each their own,
It's hard to work 10,000 square feet of rocky lands independently,
Believe me it's hard. -I know, -Everything will be fine, Breath,
What 10,000 square feet? Up at that hill?
We should have sold it 5 years ago,
when they were building there,
Go away, Leave us alone for a while,
Is that any way to talk to me, Meir? Do I talk to you like that?
Leave us alone for a while,
We just want to be alone a little,
It'll be fine, -I'll help you, Meir,
10,000 square feet on a hill,
It's over and done with, and don't start with that again,
We've had enough debts over this agriculture foolishness,
We've lived like beggars long enough,
You're just sitting here quietly,
And those two hotshots are looking to go back to Benyamina,
Like the good old days, when we were starving. -Why not?
Independent farming always was and always will be a failed idea,
They keep forgetting we were always in debt,
I can’t think about all that, Mom,
But somebody has to,
It's you two we've been working so hard for all these years,
I wish that Dad stopped going into that damn office,
and become a farmer again, It makes him happy, Mom,
How do you not see that? It always made him so happy,
Until we moved here to town, until Dad found a job,
it wasn't easy for us, We didn't want to tell you and worry you,
We wanted to save you those worries,
Trust me, we gave up a lot so you could have it easier,
So you could get an education, -But Mom, I will,
I promise you, I swear to you, I'll study,
I'll read books, You can study plenty from reading books,
I'll read 10 books a month, Mom, and if you let me go to a kibbutz,
I'll read there too, I'll even read in English,
and write book journals and all,
Stop that, Forget about it, Stop!
What is it? Where are you going? Come here, There, there,
Stop, Hava, stop it!
What are you doing?
What happened? -She's acting up,
Leave her alone, Come on,
Stop it! Come on!
Stop that now, Go with Noa, What's the matter?
I don't know, She's acting up, -Was she always like this?
Always, She wants the bag, -Give me the hat,
Hava, listen, He lives inside a gladiola leaf,
Do you know what a gladiola is? It's this big long flower,
We have it in our garden. -Those head bobs won't help you, Shraga,
This is a loving family,
By stressing out our political disagreements,
you're just making it harder for you and for your brother,
Don't you get that? -I get it just fine, Bracha,
the way he's self destructing, And hurting Hava and Noa,
You forgot me. -Self destructing with his silence,
Don't speak for me, -But you're not speaking,
You're boiling up inside, and you're saying nothing,
Bracha, my wife and I also had ideological arguments, And how,
But the entire valley knew that Shraga and Martha
were a force to the reckoned with, The entire valley,
Noa, go to your room, You don't need to be here,
Meir, I want to talk to you, -Me too,
Not here, Come to the other room, Why here?
Because she doesn't want to, She wants to be here,
Here's my sweet girl, Come to your uncle Shraga for a hug,
That's nice, -I'm begging you. -Bracha...
Meir, I'm begging you, -Bracha, please,
pack my suitcase, -I'm begging you...
Now Noa will finish the story, OK?
Remember how he saw the ant? -Yes,
So he asked her if she wanted to be his friend,
and the ant asked him what he eats,
He said: "I eat ants,"
Hava, do you want your Daddy to go to the countryside?
Hava, do you want to stay home with Mommy?
Bracha, what are you doing? -Just with Mommy and Noa?
Come to me, sweetheart, Come here, Hava, Come, little girl,
Daddy will go with Shraga... -Come, honey, come to Mommy,
Bracha, trust me, it's much better then this poisoned atmosphere,
Here, baby, What are saying? What poisoned atmosphere?
Maybe the valley knew Shraga and Martha were good together,
but you ruined Martha's life,
and you ruined your daughter's life,
and now you want to ruin mine,
Ever since you met me, you've been trying to ruin my life,
What poisoned atmosphere are you talking about?
And my little girl! How dare you?!
I never babbled hysterically in front of my children,
If you had known how much I hated you, Shraga,
you would have never come into this house, Not ever,
Martha and I only had one child,
Martha died, and Mira married a Mapai guy,
Our generation has plenty of ideas
and arguments about how we should live in this country,
and we think that if life can’t be completely altered,
we might as well give it up altogether,
My father gave up on life,
Noa, your father loves your mother with all his heart,
I wish I could go to sleep and wake up 20 years from now,
That's it, Noa, There are some moments in life where...
I don't want to hear about it, Dad,
That's it,
I'll be back in a few days, and we'll talk,
Shraga, let's go before I change my mind,
Do you really hate me?
What have I done wrong?
Is Noa there? -Come in, Noa's inside,
My Dad left home,
Uzi went back to Rehovot, We're over,
I want to know if you had anything to do with it,
I want you to tell me the truth, All of it,
because I think I already know what happened,
I want you to tell me the truth, -I wrote you a letter, Read it,
I don't want any letters, Tell me what it is you have to say,
"Dear Aya, My conscience is killing me,
"I wish you had never found out how I betrayed you last night,
"This is really difficult, I don't know where to start,
"but please, all I ask is that you try and understand,
"I agreed to your request that Uzi stay here,
"even though I sensed something bad was about to happen,
"And then my uncle came and argued with my mother,
"and I knew something bad was going to happen,
"and I just couldn’t bear it alone,
"We took a walk outside, to escape the tension at home,
"We were alone, and it was all quiet around us,
"It was just us, like there was no one else in the world,
"And all of a sudden I had these strange feelings for Uzi,
"Not love, exactly, It was more like sharing the same fate,
"You're a girl, You know what I'm talking about,
"It was this kind of tenderness you can’t really describe,
"and I knew something was about to happen,"
Aya, I know you're not going to believe me, but I didn't mean it,
I let him sleep here just cause you asked me to. -Yeah, right,
I admit I knew something may happen, but I wasn't scared,
Maybe I wanted something to happen
without having to worry about conscience or morals,
Your intentions don't interest me, Just tell me what happened,
It started from a silly peak on the forehead
and ended with...
Uzi or any other guy would call it that dirty word: necking,
Nice words, You always had a way with words,
Fine. -Aya? I'm really bad, but I never meant to hurt you,
All I wanted was one kiss, -Get away from me,
Hello, -What are you doing here?
I told Aya I left, and I though I'd be back,
but I changed my mind,
You're all frozen. -So I said I'd come in the morning
to see how you were, -My dad moved out,
Shhh... you'll wake my mom, -Move over, It's so cold,
Cover yourself, then, Cover up, Cover up,
I covered myself with some plywood, I almost froze to death,
Move over, I'm falling off. -Aya was here, I told her everything,
I know, I saw you. -That's it, right there, Don't move,
OK. -You need to leave by 7, when my mom leaves for work,
All right, I'll go,
These early morning hours are the hardest for me,
Sometimes I stay up all night, and when it's about to dawn,
I feel so...
I could run away, but I'm all my parents have,
Such is life, Just waiting to die,
I betrayed even my best friend,
You didn't betray her, It just happened,
Look, it will be summer soon, We'll hitchhike up north,
Tour the kibbutzim, Just you and me, What do you think of that?
Noa? Noa, get up, Get up, That boy is here to see you,
Should I ask him in? -I'll get dressed and come right out,
OK, I'll wait with him,
Should I make you something to drink? -Not for me. -No, thanks,
How are you, Dudy? How's your mom? -Fine thanks,
Every time I see you, you're taller,
Here's Noa, -Hi, how are you? -Hello,
Uzi, where is your backpack?
It's OK, I'll talk to you later, -Are you here together?
Mom, did you offer them anything? -Yes, yes, she did,
I did, They didn't want anything, -My mom makes great cocoa,
They sent me from the council to convince you to go on the trip,
because they have no one to replace you,
I may be leaving the youth movement altogether,
Noa, come on, don't go from one extreme to the other like this,
If you had asked to be excused, then maybe... -Excused?
What is this, school? -No, but it's the council, it's the same...
If you had been excused it would have been fine,
but you never asked, and that's just wrong,
You know what, Dudy? A lot of things I thought you and the guys
had in you, were never there in the first place,
I blame the youth movement, -Why is she so upset, Uzi?
I'm not upset,
I'm just saying the movement is extremely narrow minded,
because it supposes there is only one truth,
And that one truth has established the State of Israel,
if you don't mind. -Fine. -Noa?
Dudy, wait one second, OK? -But Noa...
The council wants to have you explain yourself. -Fine,
They're waiting outside. -OK, -Come here for a second,
You want to take a fun trip, right?
Where's your backpack?
Did you know Dudy and Danko came over to Rehovot yesterday?
What? -Yeah, We had a chat about... -What? -Girl swapping,
And about how wrong it is for people from a certain origin
to come on to girls from...
Do you get it? It's like I did something wrong, like you and I...
How idiotic! -It's because you guys have this problematic
girl situation and all that, That's what they said,
Do you remember what Balzac said in Father Goriot?
That the only people who can be truly happy
are those high above society or low beneath it,
But me, I want to belong,
Because they don't care what society thinks of them,
I do want to belong, That's what I wanted to tell you before,
but didn't know how to explain it to you,
That's why I'm willing to give up some of my self identity,
Don't worry, Uzi, I'll achieve those ideals one day,
But you keep going back and forth, and that's no good,
I know, And I always see the other side too,
which makes me feel all the more guilty. -That's how it goes,
But it's wrong of me to urge you to question your beliefs,
because that ruins your faith in the movement and its goals,
You'll end up having neither,
Wasn't it great?
We should go,
All those denials and games will not do her any good. -Right,
OK, people, If Mohammad will not go to the mountain,
the mountain will go to Mohammad,
Your mother let us in, I told you they were outside,
I thought you were joking. -No joke, They are very serious, too,
What's pure evil? -We want to have a serious talk, Noa,
Because of the situation in our group,
Even though you don't like coming over,
and keep sending us messages, -What's pure evil?
Pure evil, Noa, is when someone has to go on a trip,
and doesn't, -Without giving any reason,
Pure evil is when someone only cares about themselves
and not at all about everybody else's well being. -That's...
And by the way, I think your skirt is pure evil,
Why? Because it's impractical for kibbutz duties? -Noa,
stop mocking us, OK? You can’t afford to mock,
If anyone should mock, it's... -Wait, but you know...
you know it's true, and that just goes to prove what I said earlier,
Pure evil begets pure evil, -Right...
I couldn’t find you, I let them in,
I didn't know where you were,
Here, put that over there, -Help yourselves. -Thanks,
Is that all you need? -If there's something you want to say,
you can say it out loud, You don't have to whisper,
She's not talking to you, Noa, -And you know exactly why,
If you don't know why...
I had hoped you wouldn't turn them against me, Aya,
Because I cherish our friendship with you, Or at least, I did,
More than a friendship with any boy,
If you are talking about this specific boy,
I lost interest in him long ago, and I don't care to see or hear about him,
With his character, you may be well suited for him,
He always wanted someone to follow his pipedreams with him,
You know exactly what pipedreams she's talking about,
Like they say, still waters run deep,
Aya? Aya, what does my skirt have to do with ideals?
If society decides certain values contradict its...
Certain customs contradict it's ideals,
it should fight those customs, -That's right. -Exactly right,
Stop with the personal vendettas, -Aya, what is this about?
What is all this? -You shut up! What is this?
Like smoking cigarettes, do you understand?
Or are you too thick for this? -Or like when heartless boys
grab a girl and start necking with her against her will,
That's right, Necking with no point or purpose. -Exactly,
Maybe it's OK in America, but here it's just pure evil,
I won't listen to any more of this nonsense,
I told you there was no point talking to her,
Look, they're just expressing their concern,
Maybe they're even worried about the things you do,
questioning everything so bluntly,
It isn't easy being a person who doesn't care about anyone else,
The independent type,
Buy why do you have to wear a skirt that irritates everyone?
You know it's important to stick together when things are bad,
But I'm not doing this to irritate anyone,
I just like this skirt,
That's exactly it, You think things like that are disruptive,
Why do you always go with the flow? -I don't go with the flow,
don't you get it? I... It's just my opinion,
Most of you think so. -Don't you have your own opinion?
Can't you think for yourself? -Of course I can,
But it depends, It's all depends,
You're not worth crying over,
I wish I hadn't sacrificed all of my friendships for you,
I sacrifice things too,
What's the difference if I can’t tell at any given moment
what I want? But you can’t go against everyone all the time,
Can't you? I'll show you that you can, OK?
My skirt is hurting society’s moral,
You said you wish you could be an independent farmer,
I never said that. -Yes you did, -No I didn't. -Yes you did,
We both know independent farmers lead private lives,
Wait, Noa, why are you yelling? -What about the northern group,
with Izzi and Danny, who ended up getting kicked out?
It's not the same thing, -Yes it is. -No it isn't,
You know they were caught smoking a few times,
And yet they were not outcast by society. -They had to answer
some questions and were scolded but not punished,
Even later, when they still smoked and dragged others to it,
only then did society give up on them,
So have me answer a few questions and give up on me too,
Come on, Noa...
Don't you get that if their group was stronger...
No, I don't get it,
...and would have picked up on this sooner...
Besides, it's just a small bunch of people,
It's not like us, who are...
So they wouldn't have poisoned more people,
and wouldn't have ruined our group's reputation,
Noa is not ruining the group's reputation,
No one wants to hear you, because you're a hypocrite,
A hypocrite and a coward, who sneaks behind people's backs
like a thief, and has the nerve to preach to everyone,
as if they were not Zionistic enough themselves, and he...
That's right, they're not, -You keep changing your mind,
You have no heart. -Actually, he does, He has plenty of heart,
I know him and his heart, or lack there of, a little longer than you,
You said yourself he keeps changing his mind,
That he cared more about others' opinions than his own,
You're malicious, Aya, I never thought that of you. -Oh yeah?
Who justified kibbutz members eating in their rooms in Urim,
even though it showed
they are trying to lead a more private life?
Was it me or you? -I am all for leading a private life,
I'm all for a private life,
My skirt is mine, It's my private skirt,
You hate anything that's beautiful, I don't get that,
You'd hate flowers if you didn't have your council’s approval,
You're going to have us share our underwear,
And everyone is going to have the same amount of underwear,
If this is a socialist Zionistic ideology, thank you very much,
but I want no part of it, -I'm out of here,
See you, Noa. -Just think about what we've discussed, OK?
It's better to have an empty basket, than a basket
filled with apples and one rotten one that may rot out the rest,
Are you going or not? And don't give me any excuses,
If you need anything, we can go back to Rehovot and get it,
I already told you, You're not listening,
I don't want you
to lose your friends and your ideology and all,
And I don't want to go against my people,
We talked, and I made a promise, -You made me a promise too,
Look, we can postpone the trip until after your camp is over,
Why be so extreme? -Leave me alone, Don't touch me,
Hello, Meir. -Hello,
Are you back? -You called, so I'm here,
It's open,
You're back? -To check up on you, Mom called me,
I'm fine, You can go back to Benyamina,
I want to get some sleep, Dad, We'll talk later, OK?
What have you decided? About the farm in Benyamina?
Why decide? We'll work the land and see what happens,
And when you have some time, you'll come there too,
And when I find the time, I'll come over, On weekends,
See? Everything will work itself out. -No way,
Forget it, Don't go, It always has to happen your way,
You're pushing me, -It's a matter of principle,
Where's the principle here? What's with you and principles?
You know that in Shraga's farm no one's building anything?
They're just demolishing, refusing new immigrants,
And decline any hired labor, So where's the principle in that?
If the balance between Mapam and Mapai doesn't shift soon,
would that be a matter of principle?
Anything in the name of your treasured socialism, Socialism...
What are you babbling about? You sit in your safe office
with all the papers and bills from that weasel, Levkovitch,
and without even realizing what you're talking about,
you throw around the word "socialism",
Your dear Shraga even calls Bolshevism socialism,
Without realizing? Bolshevism, fascism,
You don't know what you're saying,
Who here want Bolshevism? What's that to do with kibbutzim?
Mapai wants its union kibbutzim,
Ben Gurion wants his union kibbutzim, so they recruit people,
put them in kibbutzim, and destroy this country,
You don't know what you're saying,
And what is the difference between that and Bolshevism?
Your ideals justify hitting people?
Beating them? Ruining houses? Ideals, Please,
What is wrong in the name of Fascism, is wrong as Bolshevism,
Your Shraga should know this, what with all his background,
In Russia they go with the KGB just because it's called Czecka,
They have a government of tyrant farmers who deport people
to Siberia, abuse the freedom of speech, That can’t be socialism,
Even if it is in the name of the proletariat. -What?
What do you mean what? Isn't that what we're talking about,
This is the point of our discussion, Tyranny,
Can a small group of people dictate others' behavior?
Who they can bring to the kibbutz or not, split or not?
That's the principle. -Again with the principles, Leave it already,
All of this is because of these principles, They ruin everything,
You're crazy, That's crazy talk, -You're crazy, Everyone's crazy,
Even Shraga is crazy. -You don't know what you're saying, Meir,
It's all in the name of your damn principles,
You're just looking for drama,
That's not it, I told you, you don't know the whole story,
I know the story very well. -You make up stories over there,
and then you come here and blurt them out like a know-it-all,
I don't blurt them out, I know exactly what happened,
and you just believe what you want. -Shraga tells you stories,
and you come here and recite them... -You know Shraga,
Shraga doesn't tell stories, -You and Shraga are both insane,
That's all I have to say to you, You're insane, Shrag's insane,
Right. -You all are. -yeah. -And you'll to make me insane, too,
What do you want? -Those principles drove us crazy,
Give her the kid, She can take her to her room. -The kid stays,
She's not going to bed, -Meir, please,
she shouldn't be hearing this, -She should, she shouldn't,
Meir. -She can hear it, I'm not ashamed of anything,
Let her take the child away, -Stop it. -I said enough, Stop it,
Leave her with me, Stop, Noa, sit down, Stop,
Everybody calm down, -Yeah, we'll calm down,
I'm not going back to to Benyamina,
I'm staying here,
I'm giving up Benyamina and the farm, All of it,
Do you know why? We've been together so many years,
love or no love, we belong together,
I'm staying with you,
and that's the end of it,
Come on, girl, Let's go to bed, Everything will be fine,
Noa, go to your room,
Enough. -Everybody argues all the time,
You see? She heard everything, What kind of family acts like this?
We wanted to build a society
based on cooperation, sharing, creativity,
You young kids never understood that,
I do understand, I do, -No, No way,
You'll never understand, -I understand, Mom,
You think we're all lunatics,
Lunatics who demolish and ruin everything,
Your dad, me, Shraga, Martha, we're not lunatics,
Martha wasn't a crazy woman who killed herself,
She just loved him, along with many others,
Many kibbutz members are buried here in the valley,
Some that made mistakes, some that didn't,
Some who were disillusioned by life in a kibbutz,
And Dad...
Dad is the best, The best and the strongest,
Go to sleep now, Let me calm down, I want to be left alone,
Go now, child,
Go, Noa,
I've been waiting for you,
I feel lost, Uzi, And I will only hurt you,
I burned all the bridges behind me, -You need to let go,
Your Dad did,
I can’t,
Life is too filthy, My Dad is too good,
too honest, That's why he gave up on his life,
But I don't want to give up mine, -Don't want to? Sure you do,
We all do, All those good guys, all those guys getting killed,
Those who built this country up, Mika's dead, and Dan Kaplansky
and the brother of that girl from our class, Lea,
And they say the best guys go first, That's just how it is,
Uzi, I don't want to die,
I don't want to die, I want to go on living my way, Peacefully,
That's why I'm wrong for you, for the group, for the kibbutz,
These are just big words, Noa,
But the higher up you fly with your philosophies,
the longer your fall will be, Only a higher cause,
a supreme ideal, can hold us all together,
That's how it always was in this country, and that's how it will be,
And those who give up on life of fulfillment and ideals,
Create themselves this empty world that we know all too well,
You're wrong, Everyone will go to a kibbutz. -Everyone who?
Everyone, It's always about everyone, What happens
when someone is not happy and everyone doesn't like it?
Just go away, Uzi,
I don't love you and I never will,
Let me tell you the truth right here and now,
You know, everybody was right,
They said you'd drag other people down with you,
and some will end up leaving the movement because of you,
You almost dragged me down with your defeatist attitude,
Luckily though, I'm strong, and I love this country,
Jerk,
Why should I be like everybody else? What's so great about that?
Why a kibbutz? Why this country? -How far will you go?
Why a kibbutz? Why this country? Just go to sleep already,
You're a degenerate, Uzi, You're mind is numb,
When you're by yourself, you're lost,
If I'm a degenerate, what are you? -Not a great person either,
But at least I'm right,
You and me and this love story, it's all a big disappointment,
"Dear Uzi, I've decided to write to you,
"even though I realize you probably won't write back,
"So I'll make it short,
"I've decided to graduate from high school after all,
"Everything seems so morose and awful,
"and now I've lost all my friends,
"I could have loved you,
"if I hadn't expected you to be perfect,
"Having all this freedom, I've decided I'm taking a new road
"and that from now on I'll be lonely for the rest of my life,
"I guess it's the right thing to do,
"if the only person I thought to tell was you,
"To end this short letter,
"I add a quote from "A Man's Home" poetry book:
"I remember when we were a forest swaying at the wind together
"a stranger among them, I was swept away by their motion,"
"I remember when we were a forest swaying at the wind together
"a stranger among them, I was swept away by their motion,"
Noa at 17 (1951 )
Translation: Shaily Giveon
Subtitles: Elrom Studios